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ichneumon

American  
[ik-noo-muhn, -nyoo-] / ɪkˈnu mən, -ˈnyu- /

noun

  1. Also called African mongoose.  Also called Egyptian mongoose.  a slender, long-tailed mongoose, Herpestes ichneumon, inhabiting Africa and southern Europe, and believed by the ancient Egyptians to devour crocodile eggs.

  2. ichneumon fly.

ichneumon British  
/ ɪkˈnjuːmən /

noun

  1. a mongoose, Herpestes ichneumon, of Africa and S Europe, having greyish-brown speckled fur

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of ichneumon

1565–75; < Latin < Greek ichneúmōn tracker, equivalent to ichneú ( ein ) to track ( ichno- ) + -mōn agent suffix

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.